The Research & Project-Based Pathway
Research competitions are the apex of pre-college STEM. They require an actual project, often a mentor, and months of work — not just exam performance. ISEF, Regeneron STS, Davidson Fellows, and JSHS are all in this category. The bar is high, but the payoff for college admissions is substantial.
The progression, grade by grade
9 programs in this pathway, ordered from earliest grade to most advanced. Click any step for full details.
ExploraVision
NSTA / Toshiba competition: imagine a technology 5+ years in the future. K-12, team-based, $10k savings bond top prize.
Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge (JIC)
The premier U.S. middle-school science research competition. Top 30 finalists travel to D.C.; formerly known as Broadcom MASTERS.
North American Computational Linguistics Open (NACLO)
Logic and language puzzles — no linguistics or coding background required.
Breakthrough Junior Challenge (Breakthrough JC)
Make a 3-minute video explaining a big idea in physics, life sciences, or math. $250,000 college scholarship to the winner.
Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (JSHS)
DoD-sponsored research symposium for HS students. Present original research; scholarships from $1,000 to $12,000.
Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF)
The world's largest pre-college STEM competition. ~1,700 finalists from 60+ countries compete in May for over $9M in awards and the $100,000 Top Award.
MIT PRIMES
Year-long mentored research with MIT graduate students. Math and computational biology. Highly selective; rejection rate ~95%.
Research Science Institute (RSI)
Six-week summer research program at MIT for rising HS seniors. Free, fully funded, ~80 students worldwide. Acceptance rate ~5%.
Regeneron Science Talent Search (STS)
The nation's oldest and most prestigious science research competition for U.S. high-school seniors. Down to 40 finalists; top prize $250,000.